Japanese protest 'defective' U.S. aircraft

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OKINAWA, Japan, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Thousands of Japanese protesters in Okinawa marched Sunday against the deployment of U.S. Osprey helicopters they consider unsafe.

The demonstrators allege the MV-22 Osprey dual-rotor helicopters are a risk to military members and civilians on the ground because of a history of crashes, the military Stars and Stripes news agency reported.

Most recently, a Marine Corps Osprey was forced into an emergency landing Friday in North Carolina because of an oil leak.

Japanese protesters allege the Osprey is fundamentally flawed and shouldn't be deployed over Japan.

Okinawa resident Shoko Toguchi told the newspaper

"No matter how many times the Japanese government regurgitates the safety of the Osprey, we will never be convinced," Toguchi said. "How many lives have to be lost before stopping the aircraft operations?"

The Osprey helicopters have slowly been phased into service since 2007 to replace the CH-46 Sea Knight craft since the Vietnam War.